Teaching Council- reporting teachers.

katiecork

As per title do you think this is going to open the door for "whistleblowers". Personally I am in a very sticky situation whereby a colleague in the same department as I in a secondary school is not following established procedures or policies and although I have voiced my concerns to management I have been stonewalled.

picturehangup

Katie, i think the TC will only deal/investigate with the most serious of cases, as in the case of Philip Rudd in the UK, as reported in today's Independent, issues such as allegations of physical or sexual assault, failing to deliver a curriculum, turning up for work under the influence of a prohibited substance, etc.

Most other issues can be dealt with and resolved in school by management through the usual grievance procedures, channels, etc. With regards to colleagues not following procedures in your department, that is something that management should be able to easily correct.

I am just wondering, are school Principals and Vice-Principals going to be open to investigation by the TC should a teacher feel that they are not getting fair play/equal treatment from management? Can they be reported?

I have seen too many cushy friendships evolve between management and staff, with certain teachers over the years receiving preferential treatment over other colleagues. Perhaps the TC can intervene here also? Inadvertently, the TC could ensure fair treatment and equality for all in the Staffroom, and maybe this could even be a good thing? Just wondering?

gaiscioch

Overall I think it's very welcome. I'd be a bit, but only a bit, apprehensive about the danger posed by the sort of parent who has nothing to lose financially by levelling all sorts of accusations against a teacher. My nearest experience of it was of one parent trying to use me as the way they could "show" their child they loved them/were better than their ex by "standing up" to me.

Aside from that sort of lowlife, most parents realise you're trying to do the best for their child and they work with you. I assume mere allegations against a named teacher will not be public? If that's the case, I'd be totally opposed to this. I've no problem with a teacher being named after being found guilty of something but in this profession mere allegations destroy reputations and careers.

Union membership, even at €335 per annum after tax, would be very useful in the event of a teacher being brought before this.

Mardy Bum

gaiscioch wrote: »

Overall I think it's very welcome. I'd be a bit, but only a bit, apprehensive about the danger posed by the sort of parent who has nothing to lose financially by levelling all sorts of accusations against a teacher. My nearest experience of it was of one parent trying to use me as the way they could "show" their child they loved them/were better than their ex by "standing up" to me.

Aside from that sort of lowlife, most parents realise you're trying to do the best for their child and they work with you. I assume mere allegations against a named teacher will not be public? If that's the case, I'd be totally opposed to this. I've no problem with a teacher being named after being found guilty of something but in this profession mere allegations destroy reputations and careers.

Union membership, even at €335 per annum after tax, would be very useful in the event of a teacher being brought before this.

Public hearing would mean that you are named before a verdict.

Tipperary Fairy

As with the medical council, if a doctor is brought to inquiry it will nearly always be public. But that's not to say all complaints are made public, only those few that make it that far. And that's not to say the teaching council will be the same, I haven't read the legislation.

But the answer to your original question should be somewhat clearer by the legislation if you have a read.

r93kaey5p2izun

katiecork wrote: »

As per title do you think this is going to open the door for "whistleblowers". Personally I am in a very sticky situation whereby a colleague in the same department as I in a secondary school is not following established procedures or policies and although I have voiced my concerns to management I have been stonewalled.

No this has nothing to do with whistleblowers. But you can make complaint against your colleague if you think it necessary - but you won't get to be anonymous. If by management you mean the principal then you could consider writing to the BOM first as the next step.

But not following established procedures or policies could be anything from the most trivial of things to very serious. I think it would be vexatious to go making formal complaints over trivial matters and you need to consider whether it would really be the right thing to do.

Tipperary Fairy

You can make an anonymous complaint to the mc, so it may be possible for the teaching council also. However it's much less likely to go anywhere being anonymous

r93kaey5p2izun

Tipperary Fairy wrote: »

You can make an anonymous complaint to the mc, so it may be possible for the teaching council also. However it's much less likely to go anywhere being anonymous

No the legislation does not allow for anonymous complaints.

Tipperary Fairy

Ivan Sharp Copperhead wrote: »

No the legislation does not allow for anonymous complaints.

Hmmm, I find that odd. Fair enough, as I said, I'm not familiar with the Act.

Mardy Bum

Tipperary Fairy wrote: »

Hmmm, I find that odd. Fair enough, as I said, I'm not familiar with the Act.

Schools get anonymous complaints often from disgruntled parents. This would be a ludicrous clause in it.

man_no_plan

Tipperary Fairy wrote: »

Hmmm, I find that odd. Fair enough, as I said, I'm not familiar with the Act.

They'd want a big letterbox of they were going to start taking anonymous complaints.

6am7f9zxrsjvnb

katiecork wrote: »

As per title do you think this is going to open the door for "whistleblowers". Personally I am in a very sticky situation whereby a colleague in the same department as I in a secondary school is not following established procedures or policies and although I have voiced my concerns to management I have been stonewalled.

The reason you're being stonewalled is because you're targeting someone for simply not being as pernickety about bureaucratic structures as yourself.
Hopefully you'll be listened to if you ever need to voice your concern about a colleague who humiliates kids/turns up drunk/refuses to correct copies and so forth.

linguist

I cannot believe that the OP would be so vindictive as to even consider reporting a colleague to the Teaching Council because somebody else is not behaving like a robot to their liking. There is such a thing as teacher autonomy. The really important stuff is code of behaviour, child protection etc. Of course we have subject plans and such like but in reality every teacher goes about their work in their own way and establishes a relationship with their classes in line with their personality and style. OP, focus on teaching your own classes well and preferably learn about about human decency and tolerance. Could it be this person is showing you up?

Mardy Bum

linguist wrote: »

I cannot believe that the OP would be so vindictive as to even consider reporting a colleague to the Teaching Council because somebody else is not behaving like a robot to their liking. There is such a thing as teacher autonomy. The really important stuff is code of behaviour, child protection etc. Of course we have subject plans and such like but in reality every teacher goes about their work in their own way and establishes a relationship with their classes in line with their personality and style. OP, focus on teaching your own classes well and preferably learn about about human decency and tolerance. Could it be this person is showing you up?

If you were across from this man, what would you do?

katiecork

Wow sheaP that's some assumption you've just made there. In Counselling terms that's called Transference. My work situation has to do with correct and established procedures and policies relating to Child Protection. My concerns have been dismissed because of an inability of management to deal effectively with a work colleague. I won't elaborate as i don't wish to discuss in detail an ongoing serious work situation. I have contacted my Union but as its work related they have directed me back to management who have washed their hands of things apparently. My query concerns would it be appropriate to contact the Teaching Council should this continue- I've exhausted management and BOM. Helpful replies are welcome.

linguist

Ok, well if it's child protection then it is serious and it might have been helpful if you'd said that initially. Now, if you have a concern there, then of course your first port of call is the Principal and/or Deputy Principal as Designated Liaison person. If you are not getting satisfaction there and you believe that a child is at risk of harm then you need to contact the Gardaí and TUSLA. I'm struggling to think of a child protection concern where you wouldn't have acted with that sense of urgency. I mean, if we're dealing with a colleague working on say an extra-curricular and making small but important mistakes like not leaving the door of the room open or giving a child a lift on his/her own, have you considered other approaches such as chatting to the parents?

r93kaey5p2izun

Nobody can offer you helpful advice as your posts are unnecessarily vague.

If it's a child protection issue then report to DLP then TUSLA if not happy with response. Go to the gardai if necessary.

If it's not then make a complaint if you think it's in the best interests of students having tried other avenues.

What more could anyone unfamiliar with the situation tell you.

katiecork

Thank you all for your input- I think I've derailed my own thread by adding more info than I intended. My initial query was about the function of the new powers of the Teaching Council and the implications that the Act will have on the school community. I gave my own personal situation as an example about how the existing procedures don't seem to work. Up until now it seems that if there is an industrial relations issue its dealt with by unions, if there is a conduct/behavioural issue its dealt with by the grievance procedure or the dignity at work charter. But what about the grey area where a colleague is not complying with established policy and procedure and the spineless management won't deal with a situation that is ethically wrong???? I thank you all for your advice but I'm going to leave this thread now as I can't go into any more detail- hence why this was a discussion type thread.

evolving_doors

katiecork wrote: »

Thank you all for your input- I think I've derailed my own thread by adding more info than I intended. My initial query was about the function of the new powers of the Teaching Council and the implications that the Act will have on the school community. I gave my own personal situation as an example about how the existing procedures don't seem to work. Up until now it seems that if there is an industrial relations issue its dealt with by unions, if there is a conduct/behavioural issue its dealt with by the grievance procedure or the dignity at work charter. But what about the grey area where a colleague is not complying with established policy and procedure and the spineless management won't deal with a situation that is ethically wrong???? I thank you all for your advice but I'm going to leave this thread now as I can't go into any more detail- hence why this was a discussion type thread.

All registered teachers sign up to a code of ethics (as far as I'm aware!). So going by the Independent article there is mention of this 'not acting ethically'.. so the route for complaint would be ...school first then Teaching Council if not resolved.

One thing that Irked me a bit was the misinformation from the Independant (nothing new there!)..

Almost half of all complaints received by the Ombudsman's Office in 2014 related to the education sector.

But it fails to classify how many of those complaints are actually against teachers!
As we know there are quite a good few cases against schools on enrollment grounds. And I would assume, a good few cases against the DES that deal with special education needs/allocation of resources/SNA's/special accommodations for exams etc..

But yet again, it's being tied into 'them baaaaad teachers'

and then the Indo Links the article to a case in the UK of an unfit teacher (who had relations with a student)... but the headline leads yo uto belive it's in Ireland:
"Inappropriate relationships and dodgy references get teachers struck off".

Tipperary Fairy

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Schools get anonymous complaints often from disgruntled parents. This would be a ludicrous clause in it.

I don't see why it'd be any more ludicrous than the mc doing it. Regardless, you say it's not in the Act, so....